Jesus has made a return in one European country – in AI form.
Dubbed ‘God in a machine’, worshippers in Switzerland can now divulge their sins directly to an AI version of Jesus.
The hologram of the Messiah is part of an art project at St Peter’s Church in Lucerne which aims to start a conversation about the role of AI in religion.
A temporary feature of the church, AI Jesus has been trained on the New Testament by scientists at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is even able to give worshippers advice.
Church-goers have lauded the guidance they’ve received from the second coming of Christ.
One worshipper told DW: ‘I was surprised, it was so easy and though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice.’
Another said: ‘He was able to reaffirm me in my ways of going about things and he was able to help me with questions I had like how I can help other people to understand him better and come closer to him.’
Jesus’s visitors walk into a confessional booth, before sitting down and looking at a screen showing the Messiah’s face through a grate.
AI Jesus then begins: ‘Do not disclose personal information under any circumstances, use this service at your own risk, press the button if you accept.’
Worshippers can ask Jesus questions and divulge their sins. The bot, which can speak more than 100 languages, interprets the questions and formulates a response.
One worshipper said: ‘I asked about the spiral of violence, how to break one. The answer: through prayer and not seeking retribution.’
The feedback about the AI bot hasn’t been all positive though, with some visitors branding it ‘generic’ and a ‘gimmick.’
Theologists, though, are positive about the impact that AI could have on churches, despite there being certain ethical considerations.
Marco Schmid, a theologist at St Peter’s Chapel, said: ‘AI fascinates us but it also has its limits and raises ethical questions.
‘In all previous tests, his answers have matched our theological understanding of St Peter’s Chapel.
‘Accessibility is easy 24 hours a day so it has abilities that pastors don’t.’
Professor Peter Kirchschlager added: ‘We should be careful when it comes to faith, pastoral care, when finding meaning in religion.
‘That’s an area where we humans are actually vastly superior to machines so we should do these things themselves.’
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